Processing
by Parachutingkitten
Summary: Pixal and Wu one shot after "The Kaiju Protocol" - fluff at the beginning, but it gets real angsty by the end.


Wu was strange company to have to one's self. Pixal was strange company just in general. So naturally, their time alone together at the monastery was quite strange. It was also, arguably, much more productive. Neither of them ever seemed to sleep, and both were entirely focused on the issues at hand. They drank a lot of tea, and spent many hours working in silence, with only the occasional comment to one another. Despite being worried about the ninja's safety, they both found the atmosphere quite pleasant with them gone. They could wake up early and meditate at any time of day without fear of interruption. They didn't usually eat big meals, but today had been particularly taxing, and they both felt that defeating the Preeminent was cause for at least a moderate celebration.

"Are you sure you don't need any help with the dishes?" Wu asked, entering the kitchen. "You're the one who cooked it all."

"Your assistance is not required Master Wu. Besides, I've nearly completed them already."

"Here, I can help dry them," Wu insisted, picking up a dish rag.

"If you insist," Pixal smiled.

They continued in their usual silence for a moment before Wu felt the urge to speak. "Thank you for everything you've been doing recently, especially with the ninja gone."

"It's the least I can do," Pixal replied. "I'm sure their absence has weighed on you quite heavily."

Wu gave a concerned smile, picking up another dish. "Yes, but I'm sure it has weighed on you as well."

Pixal paused, glancing over at him, and grinning halfheartedly. "Not as much as you might think."

"Pixal," Wu placed a hand on her arm. "You nearly gave your life today. I don't want you overworking yourself."

"I'm an android, Master Wu. My stamina is greater than you realize."

"But it still has a limit."

Pixal sighed, glancing down into the sink.

"Pixal, I want you to know how much you mean to this team. To everyone. You don't get the credit you deserve a lot of the time, and I need to thank you-"

"No thanks are necessary," Pixal cut him off. "I was built to assist. I'm merely doing my job."

Wu, moved his hand to her shoulder, turning her to face him. "Pixal, how about you take the night off. Get to bed early. Take some time to… process things. I really think it would be good for you."

Pixal bit her lip, looking at him pensively for a moment. "Of course, Master Wu. Whatever you think will be most beneficial."

She exited the room, Wu looking after her as she walked down the hallway and letting out a deep sigh.

It had never been this hard with Zane.

Pixal entered her room and proceeded to open the entrance to her cave. Her cave was much homier to her in certain ways than her bedroom, but then again, she never was too accustomed to sleeping in a bed to begin with. Though her cave held many items of interest, right now she was headed towards her control table - a giant panel she could connect to her systems in order to better read and control vitals and internal settings. This is where she would update her software, this is where she would adjust sight modifications, and this is where the team was supposed to take her if she was ever unresponsive. She connected the main cable into her arm as her statistics popped up on screen.

Wu was right. Maybe it would do some good to evaluate her body's recent performance levels.

As she glanced over the stats, a pattern became clear. More energy usage, higher stress levels, more active hours, less charge time, increased processor usage resulting in increased processing time. None of this was great news, but it _could_ be fixed. She switched over to her settings panel. What could she adjust? Decreased eye brightness to save on battery, cancel all non-essential background functions to consolidate processing power, and…

Her eyes lingered on one setting in particular: AIE-ES Chip

"artificial intelligence enhancer- emotion suppressor" she muttered. She felt her hands shaking, hesitant to make a move.

The suppression was already turned up significantly above normal levels.

She had been boosting it slowly over the last couple of days.

Her finger hovered over the slider, trying to decide what to do. "Take some time to process things," she sighed. She began to move the slider down, immediately feeling a wave of emotions rush back into her systems. She braced herself over the control panel, tears welling up in her eyes as a weight filled her chest. Filled it with responsibilities, and Samurai X, and the entire city of Ninjago, and the ninja, and… Zane. The first of many tears rolled down her cheek, her breath quickening, and her body beginning to shake. She found herself gasping for air, trying to look back up at the screen, but her vision was now blurred beyond recognition.

"I can't do this… I can't do this," She repeated, her hand finding the slider, and moving it back up to its previous position. The feelings subsided, but they still lingered, the aftershock running through her body. She looked up at the screen again, her vision now clearing. Her eyes glanced back down at the slider, her fingers still there. She moved it up just a little further, a bit of guilt panging in the back of her mind, but the pain and sorrow now almost entirely eliminated.

She looked back up at the screen, the suppression rates now bordering dangerous levels.

"It's okay," She told herself.

"It's just a little bit more…

Just until they get back."


End file.
